SHEFFIELD fighter’s world title tilt delayed

SHEFFIELD welterweight Kell Brook has suffered a minor ankle injury - but its enough for his promoter to request a four week delay to his world title fight with Devonn Alexander in America, planned for January 19.

Eddie Hearn has opened talks with Alexander’s camp, and the fight’s broadcasters Showtime, about a postponement.

“It’s not a horrific injury but it’s hampering him from doing his sprints and doing his runs and also side-to-side movement in the ring and on the pads,” Hearn told Sky Sports News. “It’s frustrating because it’s not an injury that would force you out of a fight.

“We thought we would be up front with everybody and I spoke to Golden Boy (Alexander’s promoters) on Tuesday night to say ‘look, I think we might have a problem if we go on the original date.’ So what I would like to do is potentially to push it back two, maybe three, even four weeks.

“What I don’t want to do is let a 60% or 70% Kell Brook go into a fight of that magnitude because we would not do him justice and he would not do himself justice.

“Alexander’s only lost one, he’s 25 years of age, world champion and deservedly so. You can’t play around at this level and if you are not 100%, all the work you have done to get here is going to be wasted. If he went in 60-70% I don’t think he would win the fight.”